The fine people at Dramabeans have been kind enough to keep us updated on the status of the upcoming K-drama adaptation of the Japanese manga Itazura na Kiss, so we were interested to learn that Hwang In-roi has apparently signed on as director. Hwang previously helmed Goong and Return of Iljimae, both of which were appealingly acted and perfectly gorgeous to look at, so this is good news for fans of the series...

...but I'm still not sure I'll be able to stomach this sucker. I mean, I'm curious, but in a rubber-necking, car-crash kind of way. Itazura na Kiss is just so bad. The heroine is supposed to be loyal and plucky and adorably dim, but she just seems pathetically stupid, and the hero is an arrogant butthead. Hwang has made some super-fun stuff, but I don't see how anyone could be up for the challenge of making this story—which features a sexual dynamic straight out of a C-grade Harlequin series romance from 1962—palatable for a wider audience than the most hardcore shojo fans.

Of course, I had almost the exact same complaint—practically word-for-word—about Twilight, so what do I know?

Labels: dramas, manga